Now there's an all-new reason to take care of your teeth: They could help you regain your hearing, should you end up suffering from single-sided deafness.

According to New Scientist, Californian company Sonitus Medical has created a small device that connects around the teeth and uses bone conductivity to translate sounds picked up by a microphone in the deaf ear into vibrations transmitted through the jawbone and "heard" by the one working ear. Tests are already underway for the device to see how it deals with other forms of deafness, with plans to submit findings to the FDA next year for a late 2010 release.

No news as of yet for a similar device for toothless hobos. Perhaps in 2011.